Will VR Milling 5 run on Windows 10

[MAX THE MILLER]

I've just tried to run VR Milling versions 5.51 and 5.61 on a Windows 10 PC. They start up OK, but as soon as I try to run a .fnc file in 2D simulation I get the error message "External exception 80000003". The program then locks up and the only way out is to start Windows Task Manager and kill it from there.

Both versions run OK on a Windows 7 machine.

Should VR milling run on a Windows 10 machine and if so what has gone wrong in my case?

Thanks.

[Denford Admin]

Hi. We've tested VR Milling here and it does appear to work just the same in Windows 10. Is it possible to attach the fnc file that caused the problem?

[Steve]

Most likely this is an issue with the graphics card in your PC.

It could be the graphics driver needs an update? The simulation and 3D need OpenGL support.

I have looked and found an OpenGL test application. If you try this it should let you know if openGL works on your PC.

https://madebyevan.com/webgl-water/

I would also google open GL for the graphics card you have on the PC and see if there are any updates available.

[MAX THE MILLER]

Thanks for the quick response.

The graphics card is:-

Card: Intel(R) G45/G43 Express Chipset (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM 1.1)

Having googled this I found that only Windows XP and Windows 7 drivers are available for it and there's no intention to develop a Windows 10 driver.

Strange then that the PC was allowed to be upgraded to Windows 10.

If the graphics card and driver are indeed the problem, I'll live with it.

I used to run simulations on the office PC (Windows 7) and cut metal using the workshop Windows XP machine controlling the Triac.

Office PC was upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 which was when the trouble started. I replaced the workshop XP PC with a Windows 7 PC. Needless to say I won't be loading Windows 10 on that just in case!

I'll do a bit of playing with .fnc files to see if they all give rise to the problem.

[Steve]

If you turn down the graphics capability it will use a windows basic driver and may then work.

The problem is that the PC no longer supports openGL with the driver card fitted.

[MAX THE MILLER]

With Windows 10 the program opens normally and it is possible to change settings etc. If the "VR Machine" button is clicked the machine homing window appears followed by the graphic showing the machine. Immediately after this the error message appears and the program locks up. No .fnc file needs to be opened

I have tried various screen resolutions, but that doesn't help. I can't find any way of disabling graphics hardware acceleration. I've googled this and inability to disable acceleration seems to be a common problem with windows 10. The appropriate window or button just isn't there.

I've tried using the compatibility troubleshooter which runs the program in both Win 7 and Win XP compatibility modes with and without "Scaling on high DPI". Same result there.

Used the option to send a report to Microsoft, but there's no information in the report other than to say that the program is incompatible with the OS's and DPI options listed above.

[Steve]

Did you try the weblink I posted?

https://madebyevan.com/webgl-water/

This uses openGL and will prove if the computer graphic card is the problem.

We have VR milling running on several Win 10 PC's without issue.

[MAX THE MILLER]

Tried that and got the message:-

This demo requires the OES_texture_float extension

[Steve]

OK I would try and find another OpenGL graphics test program as I am sure this is the issue.

The literature on software requirements for VR Milling 5 state

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
IBM or 100% Compatible PC,
Pentium III, 1Ghz, 512MB RAM,
200MB Free Hard Disk Space,
Microsoft Windows XP; NT; 2000; Vista;
Windows 7, 8
CD-ROM Drive,
OpenGL 3D Accelerator Graphics Card with
128MB RAM supporting at least 1024 x 768
screen resolution.
CNC Machines require USB Connection.

[MAX THE MILLER]

I don't think the fault is with the video card, as it worked with VR Milling until the PC's OS was upgraded from W7 to W10.

The drivers are Microsoft's own and are the latest version. Intel, who made the card, have different drivers, but these are only for W7. They can't be loaded on a W10 machine as an error is thrown up at the installation stage.

I checked my W7 PC which is currently running VR Milling correctly. That has Intel's own drivers, but as the hardware is different not much can be deduced from that.

The video card does support GL version 1.1.

[Steve]

What happens when you select 2D and 3D simulation as opposed to the VR Simulation? Does it crash as that loads?

Does the machine work OK if you dont run the VR simulation?

The software ran OK on the PC before you upgraded to Windows 10?

[MAX THE MILLER]

2D and 3D work fine and I can "run" a .fnc file within them.

Post Processor is fine too and generates a .gnc file.

The PC in question has NEVER been used to actually control a machine. It's only used to import .dxf files, check the GCode generated, edit as required, and run simulations. Until 15 September this year its OS was Win7 and VR Milling worked correctly apart from known issues. After upgrading to Win10 I started getting the error message when selecting the VR Machine option.

I notice that when in 2D/3D mode an additional drop down menu "Simulation" appears. Clicking this followed by "Graphical Information" shows that OpenGL is supported by the PC.